New Grad RN from Hawaii

[kianagal]

Hi all.

I am currently in my last semester at a nursing program in Hawaii and will graduate in May with my BSN. As some of you may know, landing an RN job in Hawaii is very hard as a new grad. Most new grads have to start out as a nurse aide or unit secretary for at least a year before even being considered for an RN position (in the same facility since most hospitals only hire internally).

My boyfriend will be moving to California for school and I was thinking of moving with him and finding an RN job there, but from a lot of forums that I see, it sounds like finding a new grad RN position in California is just as hard as it is in Hawaii I just don't want to be an aide and lose all my nursing knowledge and skills...

So my dilemma is, would it be better to just stay in Hawaii and be an aide for a year or so, or try to find an RN position in California? And does anyone know which parts of California are easier to find new grad positions?